Overview & Reviews

The Saturn brand, which was part of General Motors, has been discontinued as of the 2009 model year. Though popular in its early years, Saturn suffered from poor sales and was shuttered as part of GM's bankruptcy reorganization.

Despite its sad end, Saturn started with a bright future. After losing market share to Japanese imports during the '80s, General Motors launched Saturn, a new division that began selling small, low-priced cars in 1990. The division promoted itself as "different," with Saturn dealers offering no-haggle pricing and friendly customer service.

Saturn made its debut with the S Series line of vehicles. Available in sedan, coupe and wagon configurations, these Saturns differentiated themselves from other GM products with all-new platforms and flexible plastic panels meant to resist denting. Additionally, the brand was granted its own plant, with all Saturns being built at a dedicated facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee. These first Saturns weren't exactly built to burn rubber; they were powered by engines that offered from 85-124 horsepower. The payoff, though, was that these were among the most fuel-efficient vehicles of their day, offering up to 40 miles per gallon (when equipped with a manual transmission).

Just after the brand's conception, GM boasted that Saturn vehicles would benefit from rapid evolution, but in the early years, this wasn't the case. The brand's vehicles saw only one redesign in their first decade of existence. The revamp took place in the mid-'90s, and for the most part, it was only skin deep. Exteriors were spruced up and interior room saw a slight increase.

The Saturn brand enjoyed some success in its earliest years, fueled by buyers who were in love with its unique approach to customer relations that included "no-haggle" pricing. By the turn of the century, though, the novelty had worn off. With dated platforms and a limited range of products, the marque was neglected by GM, and disappointing sales figures showed that buyers had taken note and chosen to spend their dollars elsewhere.

GM responded by ramping up its commitment to the Saturn brand. In 2000, it rolled out the L Series; sharing a platform and an engine with the Opel Vectra (one of GM's European products) the sedan was the opening salvo in GM's ultimately futile fight to resuscitate the struggling brand. An SUV, the Vue, was unveiled, as was a minivan, the Relay. The S Series was replaced by the lamentable Ion, which was available as a sedan and a coupe. GM also added a hybrid to the lineup, with the introduction of the Saturn Vue Green Line.

Later, Saturn included the sporty Sky roadster, the midsize Aura sedan, the compact second-generation Vue crossover and the full-size Outlook crossover. For a brief period, there was also the European-sourced Astra compact hatchback.

Despite the increase in product quality, however, the Saturn brand effectively collapsed in 2009. As part of GM's bankruptcy proceedings, Saturn was offered up for sale. Initially, it was believed that the Penske Corporation would take over Saturn. But the deal fell through at the last minute, thereby spelling the final end for GM's import-fighting experiment.

User Reviews:

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  everything is good except its a lemmon - 2004 Saturn ION
  By 2000miles/month - April 28 - 2:00 am

  Bought the car so I dont have to worry, I have been at the dealer 8 times besides oil changes. They cant figure out what is wrong with my brakes. Other than that car is fun to drive, the 5 speed manual is pretty fast.

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  Love my Astra! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By John - April 27 - 6:13 am

  "Thats a Saturn?" I have heard that ten times in the 1 week since I brought the car home. People look at it. It feels solid. It takes an adjustment to get used to at first, sure, but once you do it is a daily joy. I love this car, black sapphire with the leather and 18" wheels. It has its quirks, and my gas mileage seems to be locked at only 22mpg but still better than the 15 I was getting in my SUV. When all is said and done, I am glad that I bought it, totally on a whim I might add.

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  Sky High Performance - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By OConnell - April 26 - 8:20 am

  This car is a great performance vehicle. It handles great in the rain and has a lot of pick up. This car is one to own. This is the future of small convertibles

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  Love it - 2005 Saturn ION
  By athenamor - April 26 - 2:06 am

  After doing tons of research before buying I found that in this price range, this car is one of the safest and most dependable. Perfect for my family of 4. I can fit my big clunky stroller and 2 weeks worth groceries in the trunk with no problems. It hugs curves, and gets good gas mileage. Its compact enough to ease into almost any parking space (even when people park crazy), but not so small that we feel cramped. I love the latch system for carseats, easy to get to. Love the CD player, though its weird not to have a tape deck. Though it has some unique features on the exterior, it still looks a lot like other models at a glance. One night leaving a store, I tried to unlock someone elses car that was in the same color. It took me a sec to figure out why my key wasnt working. It ended up being a different make/model all together.

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  Big Disappointment - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Frustrated - April 25 - 2:43 pm

  This car has had more issues than I can remember. Purchased new, now 30K miles. Manual transmission with many problems. Hesitates when accelerator is engaged. Stalls frequently when first started each day. Saturn mechanic even admitted to me that the 2005 ION is one of the worst cars Saturn has made and repairs are more frequent on this model. Wont buy from Saturn again.

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  most SUV for the money - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By goose6776 - April 23 - 10:00 am

  We test drove Liberty, Exterra, CRV, and Escape/Tribute. VUE was by far the best. Most powerful engine, better gas mileage (getting 21-26mpg), most cargo room, most comfortable back seat, and comfortable drive. (No experience of road noise or steering problems these experts whine about) I am 63" and have no problem sitting in back seat. Dealer incentives were the nail in the coffin. Would put the VUE in the same class as Highlander or Murano, but 5-10k less expensive. We just flipped 3000 miles and still loving it.

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  Cant beat it for the money - 2004 Saturn ION
  By hominum - April 23 - 10:00 am

  I dont get the attitude in the reviews Ive read. Yes, there are better subcompacts. Theyre priced higher and their dealers have an attitude to boot - which means even more cost to you. This car delivers all the essentials: great pickup, tight handling, good view of the road, interesting styling. I dont just like, I love the center console. Yeah, its different. Get over it, its also better - the shift to view the guages is lateral, and it never feels like youre taking your eyes off the road by looking down. I got this car at 2.9%, and Im paying 190/month. I bought it hassle-free in one day. Try that at Honda.

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  Little Ole Lady Driver - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Njinks - April 22 - 8:56 am

  This late manufactured 2007 vehicle is a love to drive! Unless your clothing can be rolled up or a wear & toss type, trunk space is limited as is the 3 cups holder. Driving with the top down did not hamper conversation even at 80 mph. I had the most problems with the automatic phone connection due my accent! Ive ordered a 2008 turbo therefore if this vehicle had not met my expectations and more, I would not continue to be a Saturn Sky owner. Very easy to drive and shifting never did present a problem.

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  Good Commuter Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By commuter_cop - April 21 - 8:26 pm

  Bought for my 68 mile a day commute to work. Great gas mileage, fill it up once a week. Good reliability, bought with just over 48,000 miles on it and had to change the bushings (Which i knew when I bought it) havent had to fix anything until about 90,000 miles when I replaced the rear shocks and new tires and brake pads. Cost about $450 bucks. Is all paid for and will run it into the ground. I love the 2.2 liter Ecotech engine. The center console where the gauges are is awesome. It has served its purpose admirably. Not a great car for a family cause there is little leg room in the back but as a commuter car I couldnt have asked for anything better for the money.

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  Active Expression VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By VTchemist - April 19 - 7:53 pm

  Only trouble has been front CV joints. Have replaced both: one at 75K miles and the other at 85K miles. Love the plastic body; very forgiving in parking lots. Highest mpg is 27 on interstate. In-town runs around 21-22 mpg. Glad I bought my VUE.